Research results that human feeding deprives wildlife community of 'social connection'
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Wildlife encounters are becoming more frequent as human spheres of life expand, and some feed on wildlife. A new paper in Nature Scientific Reports , an online academic journal, reported that 'human feeding has an adverse effect on the wildlife community.'
Interactions with humans are jointly influenced by life history stage and social network factors and reduce group cohesion in moor macaques (Macaca maura) | Scientific Reports
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56288-z
Feeding wildlife can disrupt animal social structures-ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200310114717.htm
Among the wildlife, many monkeys, especially the monkeys, understand human feeding well, and near sightseeing spots, monkeys gather near the road and there are scenes waiting for humans to feed. Moor monkeys, which only live on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, are one of them.
However, Kristen Morrow , the lead author of this paper and a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, said, `` It's true that humans can be rewarded, but this is dangerous behavior, Monkeys are generally wary of humans. ' So Morrow and his team decided to investigate the impact of monkeys approaching humans for food on the monkeys' social groups.
Moor monkeys gather around the road through the forest to try and get the food that the driver of the car on the road throws. From August 2016 to January 2017, the research team collected a total of 1,200 Moore monkeys with information on their location and behavior. The time at which data was collected is 6 days per week, 6 hours per day, and tracking was performed for a total of 565 hours.
Analysis of the data showed that many male Moore monkeys were trying to get food such as bread, fruit and potato chips from humans. Moor monkeys, which have the greatest influence in the flock, also turned out to feed more frequently.
In total, Moore Monkey, who expects food from humans, approached the side of the road about 20% of the time, and the remaining 80% spent the forest away from the road. Certainly, getting closer to humans increased the possibility of receiving food, but it was also found that Moore monkeys near the road behave differently than when in the forest. 'When monkeys were near the road trying to get food, they found that there was little social connection between the individuals. This change could include grooming each other or relaxing near other individuals. It shows that opportunities for positive interactions have decreased, 'said Morrow.
For Moore Monkeys, herd social connections play an important role in many aspects, including health, longevity, successful reproduction, and increased child survival. However, Morrow pointed out that human feeding alters the behavior of Moore Monkey, which can undermine these beneficial social connections and fundamentally change the social structure of Moore Monkey.
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`` Our studies show that Moore Monkey has determined that the benefits of receiving food outweigh the risks of being near people and cars, '' said Erin Riley , a professor of anthropology at San Diego State University. Was suggested. ' He pointed out that humans may need to understand the disadvantages of feeding and change their behavior in Moore Monkey conservation efforts.
Morrow said, `` This study has taught us about the potential impact of human interaction with the Moorish monkey community, but we have been working on it further to understand the impact of these behaviors on wildlife. And that it is important to understand the implications of human interactions in order to effectively conserve wildlife.
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